Sunnylands opening is another sign that exotic birds are returning for the season

Tim Laman's photo of a Great Egret , seen taking off at the Sunnylands estate in Rancho Mirage, will be on display at the Sunnylands Center & Gardens starting Wednesday.(Photo11: Tim Laman/Special to The Desert Sun)

Story Highlights

The Sunnylands Center & Gardens, a sanctuary for thousands of migratory birds, opens for the season on Wednesday, Sept. 12.
Palm Springs Desert Sun

Hot Pick

Wednesday, Sept. 12

Season debut: The 2018-2019 season continues to roll out as the Sunnylands Center & Gardens begins its eighth year with a new look and a new tour through the 200-acre estate of the late philanthropists Walter and Leonore Annenberg in Rancho Mirage.

The house tours are pricey, but you can visit the Sunnylands Center & Gardens for free and see how Annenberg envisioned it as a bird sanctuary. The wealthy publisher was well aware that Sunnylands was located along the Pacific Flyway, a major migration route for birds traveling through the Americas, and he sought to attract them with massive lawns and 13 man-made lakes. He rejected an early architectural plan for the estate that only included one aviary to “aid and comfort” the birds.

Guides will now take guests on weekly birding tours of the estate, where they'll be able to see white pelicans, Snowy and Great Egrets, and Great Blue and Green Herons, among others, plus a new exhibition titled “Flight Plan: The Birds of Sunnylands,” featuring 52 images by wildlife photographer Tim Laman. Starting Friday, Sept. 14, Sunnylands also will present a new Films on the Great Lawn series featuring free bird-themed movies at 7:30 p.m.

The movies include “The Eagle Huntress,” about a 13-year-old girl from a nomadic tribe in Mongolia who takes on a traditionally male role by raising an eagle and teaching it to hunt. The next Friday will feature the 1963 Alfred Hitchcock thriller, “The Birds.”

Best Bets

Friday

High desert icon: Gene Evaro Jr. long has been one of the high desert’s top musical attractions, but he’s also become an ambassador for the diverse Joshua Tree sound.

Besides appearing regularly in the two Joshua Tree Music Festivals, which draw people from around the world, Evaro has opened on national tours for such artists as Milky Chance, Elle King and Blues Traveler.

Evaro released his third album, “Like its 1965,” in April, but his recordings don’t prepare you for the eclectic sounds he brings to the stage. His music has been compared to Earth, Wind & Fire, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Stephen Stills and Prince, but the only thing you can be sure of is your head will be bopping and your feet will feel like moving.

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Friday

Crazy time: Five spiritual nights of Bhakti Fest begin Wednesday in the Joshua Tree Retreat Center. So, Friday is the ideal time to do something you’ll need to atone for.

Extreme Midget Wrestling could provide all the guilty pleasure you’ll ever need five miles west at Gadi’s Bar & Grill, where the motorcycles parked out front serve as an introduction to a testosterone-fueled ambiance wildly contrasting the serene Bhakti Fest.

A contingent of touring wrestlers competing for the Extreme Midget Wrestling Federation title, including the Red Neck Brawler, Eddie Vato, Bruce Lee Roy and the ever-popular Baby Jesus, will body-slam each other for your rowdy drinking pleasure. Admission starts at $20 in advance, but, if you really want to get your yah-yahs out, why not pay an extra $30 for the VIP experience, including front-row seats and a meet-and-greet offering selfie photos of yourself with the midget wrestlers an hour before the show.

This could be a reminder of how desperately you needed Bhakti Fest at this time in your life.

Saturday

The band YOB seems like more of the same testosterone-fueled entertainment offered at Gadi’s Bar. They’re an American doom metal band from Eugene, Oregon, who just released an album titled “Our Raw Heart.”

The doom metal band, YOB, performs Saturday at Pappy and Harriet's in Pioneertown.(Photo11: Jimmy Hubbard/Special to The Desert Sun)

But this veteran group’s fans see singer/guitarist Mike Scheidt, bassist Aaron Rieseberg, and drummer Travis Foster as much more than a trio of head-bangers. A fan who videographed YOB's performance at the 2014 Hoverfest in Portland described their music as “transcendental metal that opens up a universe of sound and reminds us of how small we are in the grander scheme of things.

“YOB is about life on the quantum level,” he said, “the unseen that makes the real manifest."

Saturday

Martina McBride:Thank God there's a country girl playing at Fantasy Springs to provide a progesterone alternative to all the chemical warfare going on in the high desert.

Martina McBride is the multiple Grammy-nominated country star who has wracked up 20 Top 10 singles and six No. 1 country hits in the past three decades. Rolling Stone Country calls her “the Petite Powerhouse.”

McBride, a four-time CMA Vocalist of the Year, released her debut album in 1991. Her ‘90s hits include her signature song, “Independence Day” plus “My Baby Loves Me” and “Safe In The Arms Of Love.” She reduced her touring schedule after having children, but kept busy writing cookbooks and throwing herself into philanthropy, especially on behalf of domestic violence. She often partners with non-profit organizations in the towns where she performs.

To see the causes most near and dear to her heart, go to TeamMusicIsLove.com.

Sunday

Dollyland West: Besides being the Playground of the Presidents, Rancho Mirage is known as the home of 97-year-old Broadway legend Carol Channing. That’s probably one reason why the nationally-known Channing tribute artist, Nicky Ciampoli, is playing the intimate Desert Rose Playhouse in Rancho Mirage this weekend.

They’re billing him as coming “direct from Feinstein’s 54 Below in New York City." And he’s putting his extensive Carol Channing memorabilia collection on view at the theater.

Nicky will recreate moments from Channing’s career on Broadway, film and TV, including music from “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” “Show Girl,” “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” and, of course, “Hello, Dolly!” Everything is performed live, with no lip-synching, and each show is described as “unique and spontaneous.” The Saturday show quickly sold out, so the Desert Rose Playhouse added a Sunday matinee.